When Victor ended the video call with Lizbeth, a familiar, melodious chime resonated in his mind.

  [Mission Accomplished!]

  [Congratulations on passing the mission. You have successfully embarked on an expedition and located and acquired the necessary resources as well as secured a consistent supply channel.]

  [The reward (2,500 academy points and 10 Elemental Adept lootboxes) has been issued.]

  Gacha!

  How long had it been since the last time he indulged in gacha pulls? Victor’s fingers twitched involuntarily, as if suffering from withdrawal. He remembered that the last time he did one was about a month ago, and even then, the previous pull wasn’t out of pure whim but a mission reward. He had been careful not to squander the academy points. After all, as the academy progressed, those points were better spent on more critical needs and upgrades.

  But he didn’t relish the moment for long because a completed mission was usually accompanied by a new main mission. Sure enough, as he checked the Headmaster’s Journal, a fresh mission had appeared.

  —— [Headmaster’s Journal] ——

  Mission: Prelude to a Great War

  Disturbing signs point to an impending invasion from a fearsome entity lurking deep within the Thornwood Forest. With the academy in its current state, your chances of victory against these foreign invaders are close to nil. Nevertheless, it is absolutely essential to bolster the academy's defenses and prepare meticulously for this looming threat. Your survival—and that of the academy—hinge on your readiness to face these new enemies.

  Type: Main mission

  Academy Grade (Level 4): 0/1

  War Preparations: 0%

  Reward: Instant progression to your sigil forming and insights into the understanding of your meditation technique.

  As Victor read the mission’s description, an unsettling chill crept down his spine, and his hair stood on end in fear. This was the first time a mission had been so brutally pessimistic about his chances. Even survival was no longer guaranteed.

  “Wait a minute… foreign invaders?” he murmured. The words were strangely at the edge of his tongue. As far as he knew, “foreign invaders” could mean they were beings that didn’t originate from this world. Enemies from beyond Seraphia, from another world or plane entirely. Though Seraphia was a high-grade plane, one that few could rival, it wasn’t immune to the threat of invasion from powerful outsiders.

  That realization made his blood run cold. Only entities beyond the level of Nexus Temporal Magi could cross the boundaries between planes. As an Elemental Adept Magus, even if he formed all six sigils, he would be utterly insignificant against such foes—an ant facing a giant. He wouldn’t be worth shit.

  “Patron, is the situation back at the academy really that bad? Why do you look like you’ve just seen a ghost?” Eleanor asked, tilting her head amusedly, though a hint of genuine concern was showing in her eyes. She hadn’t stopped helming the dirigible below despite making a snippy remark.

  Victor felt a small tug on his hand, and Lillie’s soft voice broke through his thoughts. “Are you okay, Mentor Victor?”

  They couldn't see the mission notification on his screen, which made him realize how odd he must have looked just staring off into space while his expressions shifted as if he were losing his mind. Though admittedly, that wasn’t far off the mark.

  “It’s just… there’s a lot to think about,” Victor said, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. After promising Lillie that he would handle everything, he couldn’t afford to back down now; otherwise, he would lose face. Besides, retreating wasn’t an option.

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  But then, Victor’s eyes lit up with an idea. “No, this could be an opportunity…” he murmured to himself. Foreign invaders would be suppressed by Seraphia’s natural laws, and they wouldn’t be able to exert their full power. While these entities were dangerous, their rarity made them incredibly valuable, be that for materials for elixirs and magic artifacts, among other things, depending on what they were.

  Additionally, Victor reminded himself that he had an army of immortal players on his side—an army that grew larger and stronger with each passing day. Once the golems at the citadel were fully repaired, his chances of victory would significantly improve. He couldn’t imagine that his forces would be incapable of at least putting up a good fight.

  Besides, it was about time to roll out the next major update for the players, which also meant entering a new phase of the game’s development: the transition to the closed-beta phase. Considering they would be facing an undead army which was likely massive in numbers and the potentially protracted nature of the impending war, this wouldn’t be just an ordinary update. In fact, Victor was planning to pitch it as an expansion—the first one in the game!

  By rolling out the expansion, Victor knew the players would be hyped to dive headfirst into the action, eager to become his unstoppable meat shields. If they charged together relentlessly, wave after wave, they might even be able to hold back the enemy long enough to make a real difference. Who knows? With the players’ overwhelming enthusiasm and numbers, he might not even have to lift a finger to deal with this crisis.

  He truly was an evil genius!

  “Now you’re smirking like a freak,” Eleanor quipped, narrowing her eyes at him.

  “Mentor, I’m scared…” Lillie took a step back, her innocent eyes filled with concern as she gazed up at him.

  Victor coughed, quickly wiping the smirk from his face. Maybe he should focus more on these plans after he returned to the academy, where he could strategize accordingly. For now, he needed to resume his meditation—he was on the cusp of a breakthrough, and that demanded his full attention.

  SuperNova trudged through the twisted, withered undergrowth of the Thornwood Forest. Behind him, a host of other undead creatures marched, shuffling along toward the unaffected part of the forest. Zombies groaned as they dragged their decaying limbs, while ghouls scurried ahead with their twisted and malformed bodies. Skeletons marched in a stiff, eerie rhythm while their bones rattled as they moved. The sight was eerie—a macabre parade of death in a forest where life had once thrived.

  Never once in his life had SuperNova imagined he’d be leading an undead army. Never once!

  But here he was—not by choice, but by the twisted fate of his transformation. Still, being turned into an undead had its perks. For example, his undead body gave him abilities beyond that of his living self. He no longer felt exhaustion or hunger in-game, and he didn’t have to worry about dying since the Ghost Necromancer would be able to resurrect him. Or at least that was what she told him. Though that was a small comfort, considering his current state.

  Speaking of which, she had tasked him to lead a force of about a thousand strong to scour the forest for cooking ingredients. Indeed, when he heard this was the task he was entrusted with, he had to pause and wonder if his hearing had malfunctioned.

  But then he thought of the dish the Ghost Necromancer had cooked, and his mouth watered. How come a being like her can cook something so perfect and delicious? Well, it’s an NPC designed by the devs, after all.

  SuperNova signaled to the undead horde to fan out with a growl, scouring the forest with mindless, relentless purpose. Ghouls clawed at the earth, unearthing roots and leaves. Skeletons hacked at trees with broken blades, revealing strange-looking sap within. Zombies picked through the debris, scavenging whatever they could find. This part of the forest, which had been untouched, seemed to start to decay under their touch.

  At one point, SuperNova knelt, pressing his hand to the earth and brushing a nearby plant. For an unknown reason, the moment his fingers made contact, the plant began to wither, crumbling into decay just like everything else touched by the undead. Concentrating, he willed the decay to stop. As he focused on controlling his infused mana, the spreading of the rot slowly ceased.

  How peculiar, he thought. Despite his transformation, he still had control over his magic.

  In fact, his powers had grown considerably. His affinity for Necro and Umbra elements had been enhanced manifold, making his spellcasting more potent than ever. If he had to estimate, he was likely as strong as a third-stage Initiate Attunement acolyte. Unfortunately, without access to his Shadowlink Mark, he couldn’t check his true stats or communicate with the outside world.

  To make matters worse, he hadn’t logged off the game for a couple of days. Luckily, he had just finished his thesis, and his university wouldn’t call him for a defense for a month or two, given how quickly he had completed it before the deadline. His parents wouldn’t be searching for him either—they would think he was busy studying… But would he be able to log out in that span of time?

  As he led the undead through the forest, another concern gnawed at him, which was the inevitable clash between them and the academy. At first, receiving a hidden mission felt like a stroke of luck, a chance to become the best in the game. But now, he couldn’t help but think of the implication: What would happen if his side won and the academy was destroyed?

  To put that into perspective, he recalled the first invasion event. It was mentioned that the academy’s destruction would cause a server-wide reset, basically wiping away all progress. If the academy fell, what would be the point of him winning? Everything he’d worked for would vanish, along with everyone else’s progress.

  No, I can’t let that happen. Somehow, he needed to warn the academy, to give them a chance to prepare before it was too late. But how could he when he was on the enemy’s side with no way to communicate?

  Whatever he did, it had to be soon.